The next morning, we walked the few blocks to the market, then around downtown to Xuan Huong Lake. We had a mango juice at a restaurant built on the side of the lake. However, there is no lake right now! It has been drained for some construction. The lake originally was created by a dam in 1919 and has a path around the shore about 7kms in length. I'm sure it is beautiful when there is water...
In the afternoon, Loan arranged for a driver to tour us around. We went out into the valley where the whole landscape is planted with fruits, vegetables and flowers. Dalat is known as a town that is cooler in the hot season, but also it's very agricultural - maybe like the Okanagan, but with much more diversity in crops. There are wall-to-wall greenhouses for miles in some areas, and we stopped briefly to look inside one. It was planted with flowers. 
Here's a gerbera daisy for you Lori!
Next we went to Thung Lung Vang garden, a forest of pine trees that had been landscaped with beds of flowers, bonsai trees, rockeries, a waterfall and a lake. It was a large property, and very beautiful. It was wonderful to walk around in the peacefulness of it. The weather was like a nice summer day in Vancouver, warm, but with a pleasant breeze.
Next was a stop at a weaving workshop owned by a family of the Lat ethnic minority people. The family wove cloth from cotton and silk, and sold their products. I bought a few small gifts from the children, but the mother showed me some larger pieces. The work was good quality, a good price, and oh, so beautiful. I also bought a bedspread for Molly and a table runner. 
We spent a fair bit of time there talking to the family, so then the Mother offered to show us a home in their village where a typical family lived a generation ago. It was just one long room, no windows, thatch roof, a fire pit in the centre, and hooks for jugs and musical instruments on the walls. There was a pole at the end wall, which she explained had various parts to it. The items attached and hanging off of the pole represented the families spiritual values, for luck, good harvests, health, etc. There was also a couple of large musical instruments in the room. They were made of bamboo pipes and struck with a mallet. She played one to show us what it sounded like. It had notes typical of our scale. 
After I blew my budget we were driven to Lang Bian Mountain, a mountain with 5 volcanic peaks. There is a 3 - 4 hour hike up the highest peak, but we were not up to that. Loan, Molly and I walked slowly up for about 30 mins - it's harder for me to hike with a baby in the snuggly! Kinh came with us. But Kinh was much faster. Here is a picture of him waiting for us: 
And this is the view of the valley, from part-way up the mountain. There are fields of vegetables, and greenhouses, and the whole valley is planted with agricultural products. Only the tops of the far mountains are still green with jungle.
At the base of the mountain is a Lat village. We hung around until 7pm, and took part in a performance that the village offers. Performers dress in traditional clothing, play traditional musical instruments, sing and dance. Spectators are encouraged to join in. The place was packed, and the music was too loud. And Molly slept through it all without even twitching! She was an angel all day. I worried about dragging her out all afternoon and evening, but she didn't seem to mind at all. She's pretty happy riding in the snuggly.
The experience with the Lat people was a highlight. I'm glad I have some of their handicraft work to take back to our home.
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